Football pass catching trainer

ABSTRACT

The football pass catching trainer includes a vest wearable by a receiver and at least one interference pad selectively removable from the vest. The vest and the associated interference pad are configured to require the receiver wearing the vest to catch a football with arms and elbows extended away from the interference pad. The vest may include a retainment mechanism and indicia that enable the receiver to selectively position the interference pad on the vest to practice the proper techniques for catching a football.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a football pass catching trainer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a football pass catching trainer in the form of an adjustable vest that teaches receivers to catch a football with the hands and extended arms.

Professional football has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business industry through advertising, merchandising and television contracts. With such increased growth in the industry in recent years, players are now, more than ever, competing among one another for lucrative multi-million dollar contracts. Thus, the demand for performance enhancement football training tools has grown dramatically.

There are two aspects that are important to a football offense: (1) the running game; and (2) the passing game. To be two-dimensional, a football team must have offensive players capable of running and passing. Importantly, wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, and even quarterbacks (collectively “receivers”), must learn proper football catching techniques to be able to catch forward, lateral, and shovel passes efficiently and consistently. One difficult aspect of training football players is teaching the correct handling and/or football catching techniques that allow the receivers to track the motion of the football, quickly react to unexpected football deflections, and catch the football.

Football passes may be difficult to catch when the correct techniques are not employed. One problem associated with increasing football reception skills involves correct positioning of the hands. Receivers tend to catch the football with the body and thereafter wrap their arms around the ball. Preferably, receivers should catch the football with the hands. Receiving a football with the hands, instead of the body, increases the percentage of passes caught by the receiver and enables the receiver to more quickly respond to unexpected changes to the football trajectory. Thus, correct hand placement by the receiver prior to catching the football is pivotal to improving catching abilities.

Football players are typically taught how to properly catch a football. A well-thrown football (e.g. a “spiral”) rotates about its major axis and is typically caught with the hands in one of two major catching positions: (1) above the waist—positioning the hands with the palms facing toward the ball and with the index fingers and thumbs touching or in close proximity of one another to produce a “diamond” shape; or (2) below the waist—positioning the spread open hands with palms facing toward the ball and with the little fingers just touching each other to produce a “w” shape. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,358 to Keating discloses a set of football catch training gloves that teach proper positioning of the fingers to catch the football in this regard. The gloves have a set of hook and loop fasteners that interconnect elastic sections extending laterally between the gloves. The interconnected gloves place the hands of the receiver in the “diamond” position when catching the football above the waist. Alternatively, the gloves may be configured to place the hands of the receiver in an inverted “w” position for catching the football below the waist. The gloves are intended to train and enhance the ability of a receiver to catch a football.

There are a number of training techniques and devices designed to enhance football reception and football handling. One simple technique is a practice drill involving three players. The first player (quarterback) throws the football to a second player (receiver) that is guarded by a third player (defenseman). The defenseman actively attempts to prevent successful pass completion of the football from the quarterback to the receiver. The defenseman may try to impair the vision of the receiver, attempt to intercept the football, or otherwise deflect or knock the football down to prevent a successful reception by the receiver. The receiver must learn how to track the football through the air despite being covered by the defenseman. The receiver must also learn how to properly react and adjust to the defenseman and any change in the trajectory of the football when the defenseman deflects the football. Often football teams run a “tip drill” where players work on hand-eye coordination of deflected or tipped passes.

One major drawback with this technique is that the drill does not teach the receiver the correct positioning of the hands when receiving the football. Another drawback is that the quarterback and receiver must be able to complete the pass to enhance the pass reception ability of the receiver. Moreover, a live defenseman does not necessarily improve the ability of the receiver to catch the football. It is often difficult to replicate game-time actions as defensemen are often off-balance and frequently lunge or rush the receiver to prevent pass completion. Defensemen may only slightly deflect passes by grazing the football while in flight. Regardless, the receiver still needs to work on pass reception skills and ball handling.

Another drawback to practicing pass receptions is that the receiver may develop poor habits during training when failing to properly catch the football. Specifically, football receivers should not allow the arms to come too close to the body when catching a football because the range of catching motion is sacrificed. Such restriction also interferes with proper receiving mechanics. Moreover, catching techniques are enhanced when receivers are able to keep the elbows away from the body while receiving the football. Catching the ball with arms and elbows outstretched away from the body provides the receiver with a larger range of motion and a faster response time to react to various game situations.

Proper hand positioning to receive a football is not natural and coaching instructions are not easily followed during training or practice exercises without a training device. Thus, there have been several football pass catching trainer aids developed to train players to catch a pass. Receivers are often taught to catch the football with the fingers/fingertips rather than with the palms. Such a technique enables a receiver to extend the vertical and lateral reach for receiving passes while simultaneously improving dexterity. But, the prior art does not address the common problem of correcting the tendency for receivers to allow the arms and elbows to move too close to the torso such that the receiver catches the football with the body rather than with the hands and with arms and elbows positioned away from the body. Catching the football with outstretched hands and arms enables the receiver to more efficiently move, thereby decreasing the time the defensemen can defend the pass.

Thus, there exists a significant need in the art for a football pass catching trainer. Such a football pass catching trainer should include a selectively adjustable vest and a plurality of foam pads selectively attachable to the vest, should be multi-configurational in that the pads may be rearranged, sized to fit receivers that vary in height and weight, and removable for washing, and should continuously reinforce the basic receiver skills and hand-eye coordination of receiving a football with the hands and extended arms and elbows. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The football pass catching trainer disclosed herein generally includes a vest and at least one interference pad selectively removable from the vest. The vest is wearable by a receiver and may include a front section and a back section that are selectively coupled together by a strap. The strap may be made from elastic and may include an adjustable fastener such that the vest adjusts to snugly fit a plurality of receivers that vary in size. The vest and the interference pad worn by the receiver are configured to require the receiver to catch a football with arms and elbows extended away from the interference pad.

The vest includes a retainment mechanism that selectively attaches the interference pad to the vest. In one embodiment, the retainment mechanism includes hook and loop fasteners, a button, a clip or a snap. Alternatively, the vest may include a pocket sized to selectively receive the interference pad. The pocket preferably includes a lid that selectively closes the pock to secure the interference pad therein. The retainment mechanism or the pocket may enable the receiver to selectively position the interference pad on the vest. The vest itself may further include indicia identifying specific locations on the vest where the receiver should position the interference pad. The vest may be configured to receive multiple interference pads, such as a side interference pad configured to obstruct inward movement of an elbow of the receiver. Preferably, the pads themselves are manufactured from a resilient, yet non-injurious material such as foam.

The football pass catching trainer may also be used with a method for training a receiver to catch a football. Such a method may include steps such as fitting the vest to the receiver and selecting at least one interference pad sized to prevent the receiver from catching the football with the body. The selected interference pad is then positioned on the vest so that the vest and the associated interference pad require the receiver wearing the vest to catch the football with arms and elbows extended away from the interference pad. Furthermore, such a method should include the step of removably connecting the interference pad to the vest so that the receiver can practice the proper techniques for receiving a football.

Preferably, the selecting step includes the step of selecting a primary interference pad configured to obstruct catching the football with the chest of the receiver and selecting a side interference pad configured to obstruct inward movement of an elbow of the receiver. The primary interference pad and the side interference pad cooperate to require the receiver to catch the football with arms and elbows extended away from each respective pad. The primary interference pad and the secondary interference pad may be attached to the vest by selectively inserting the interference pads into a pocket attached to the vest. Alternatively, positioning an interference pad on the vest may include the step of aligning the interference pad with indicia on the vest. Once the interference pads are attached to the vest, the receiver may selectively adjust a strap to snugly fit the vest to the receiver. The strap preferably includes an elastic strap having a fastener.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a football pass catching trainer;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the football pass catching trainer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the football pass catching trainer, illustrating detachment of a set of straps;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the football pass catching trainer, illustrating removal of a set of pads;

FIG. 5 is an alternative perspective view of the football pass catching trainer, illustrating detachable pads;

FIG. 6 is an alternative perspective view of the selectively detachable pads of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an environmental view illustrating a receiver wearing the football pass catching trainer while catching a football;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the receiver catching the football; and

FIG. 9 is a top view of the receiver catching the football.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention for a football pass catching trainer is referred to generally by the reference number 10. In FIG. 1, the football pass catching trainer 10 is shown generally having a front vest 12 and a back vest 14 that interconnect by a plurality of straps 16. The vests 12, 14 are preferably manufactured from a lightweight, breathable and durable material that maintains its structural integrity in view of being subject to game-type football contact (e.g. during scrimmages), while facilitating football-type athletic movement. The vests 12, 14 may also be designed to absorb and whisk away moisture and sweat so as to cool the body during use. The vests 12, 14 are also preferably sized to fit the majority of athletes that endeavor to use the football pass catching trainer 10 in a “one size fits all” construction. The straps 16, as described in more detail below, may be used to tighten or loosen the distance between the front vest 12 and the back vest 14 depending on the size and shape of the athlete wearing the football pass catching trainer 10.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates the straps 16 attached to the back vest 14 by a plurality of stitching 18. The stitching 18 preferably permanently attaches the straps 16 to the back vest 14 making the straps 16 unadjustable in this regard. This is preferred because an athlete may have a difficult time attaching the straps 16 to the back vest 14. The stitching 18 should be strong enough to resiliently hold the straps 16 to the material comprising the back vest 14 in order to withstand stresses placed upon the football pass catching trainer 10 during use. To ensure maximum comfort and retention, the straps 16 generally comprise two shoulder straps 16 a and four side straps 16 b. Users with larger chests or bigger body frames will increase the distance between the front vest 12 and the back vest 14 by loosening the straps 16. Of course, persons with smaller chests or smaller body frames will decrease the distance between the front vest 12 and the back vest 14 by tightening the straps 16. In one embodiment, the straps 16 adjust based on the attachment location to the front vest 12, as shown in FIG. 3 with respect to a plurality of hook and loop fasteners. Alternatively, the straps 16 may attach to a single location on the front vest 12 (e.g. permanently or releasably) and stretch to snugly fit the receiver wearing the football pass catching trainer 10. In another embodiment, the straps 16 comprise a relatively rigid and non-stretchable material that includes a belt-type or other ring-based adjustment mechanism that enables a user to tighten or loosen the distance between the front vest 12 and the back vest 14. Once attached to the receiver, the football pass catching trainer 10 should not shift or move during use. A person of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that any one of a number of different types of materials may comprise the straps 16 and that there may be many different compatible adjustment mechanisms that enable a receiver to position the front vest 12 at a desirable location from the back vest 14 to snugly fit the football pass catching trainer 10 to the receiver.

FIG. 3 illustrates one aspect of the football pass catching trainer 10 wherein each of the straps 16 are disconnected from the front vest 12. To put the football pass catching trainer 10 on, a user pulls the two straps 16 a of the back vest 14 over the shoulders for connection to the front vest 12. Specifically, a strap attachment 20 a on the straps 16 a are pulled over the shoulders and connected to a corresponding strap retainer 22 a positioned on the front vest 12. The vests 12, 14 both include a partial cutout shaped to fit around the neck and head of the receiver. The strap attachments 20 a may be retained by the strap retainers 22 a by any method known in the art. For example, the strap attachments 20 a may comprise a series of hooks that engage and are retained by a plurality of loops that comprise the strap retainers 22, or vice versa. Such a retention mechanism may comprise Velcro. Alternatively, the strap attachments 20 a and the strap retainers 22 a may include snaps, buckles, clips or other similar mechanical or adhesive mechanisms for securing the strap attachments 20 a to the strap retainers 22 a. Similarly, the strap attachments 20 b of the side straps 16 b attach to the corresponding strap retainers 22 b by the same or similar retention mechanism described above with respect to the strap attachments 20 a and the strap retainers 22 a. The front vest 12 and the back vest 14 both also include a partial cutout complementary to one another to fit around the shoulder or arm of the user. Ultimately, the strap attachments 20 secure to the strap retainers 22 to retain the front vest 12 to the back vest 14 around the body of a user.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment wherein the football pass catching trainer 10 includes a central pad 24 and a pair of side pads 26 that fit into a respective central pocket 28 and a pair of side pockets 30. The pockets 28, preferably attach to the front vest 12 by a series of stitching 32, denoted by the dashed lines in FIG. 4. The stitching 32 securely attaches the pockets 28, 30 to the front vest 12 and is designed to withstand traditional wear and tear commonly associated with football training exercises. The pockets 28, 30 may encompass any one of a number of different sizes or shapes. The size and shape of the pads 24, 26 may vary depending on the body size of the user wearing the football pass catching trainer 10, the training exercise, etc. The central pad 24 is selectively slidably retained within the central pocket 28 by a central flap 34. The central flap 34 is designed to encompass the opening to the central pocket 28. Likewise, the side pockets 30 also include a set of side flaps 36 capable of encompassing the opening to the side pockets 30 to encase the side pads 26 therein. The flaps 34, 36 may secure to the pockets 28, 30 by any mechanical or adhesive attachment mechanism known in the art. Preferably, the flaps 34, 36 include a flap attachment 38 that secures to a flap retainer 40 similar to the connection between the strap attachment 20 and the strap retainer 22, described above. The flap attachment 38 engages the corresponding flap retainer 40 to securely retain the corresponding pads 24, 26 within the respective pockets 28, 30. This ensures that the pads 24, 26 remain within the pockets 28, 30 during use of the football pass catching trainer 10. It is particularly preferred that securement of the flap attachment 38 to the flap retainer 40 prevent disengagement of the pads 24, 26 out from within the interior of the pockets 28, 30 when a user wearing the football pass catching trainer 10 catches a football, is tackled by a defenseman, or receives other similar football-type contact.

The pads 24, 26 themselves are preferably manufactured from a somewhat resilient, yet soft material that provides obstruction in and around the chest and side areas of the receiver, but otherwise does not injure anyone contacting or wearing the football pass catching trainer 10. The central pad 24 is designed to prevent a receiver from incorrectly catching a football 42 (FIGS. 7-9) with the chest or body. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate one preferred embodiment where the central pad 24 arcuately extends out away from the front vest 12 of the football pass catching trainer 10. The central pad 24 is shaped as a partial cylinder with a flat portion that sits flush against the chest of the receiver and an arcuate portion that extends out therefrom and provides limited movement of the hands and elbows around the chest area. The central pad 24 may comprise many different materials, sizes or shapes to accomplish the desired training exercise—i.e. training the receiver 44 to catch the football 42 away from the body. The size of the central pad 24 may certainly vary depending on the size of the receiver 44. The corresponding central pocket 28 may be designed to snugly house smaller central pads 24 for use with smaller receivers and be capable of stretching to accommodate larger central pads 24 for use with larger receivers. Similarly, the side pads 26 are preferably manufactured from a material comparable to the central pad 24 and may also vary in size or shape depending on the receiver wearing the football pass catching trainer 10. The side pads 26 are designed to prevent the receiver 44 from catching the football 42 with the elbows 46 (FIGS. 7-9) positioned inwardly toward the rib area of the receiver 44. The pads 24, 26 are selectively removable from the inside of the pockets 28, 30 and are washable along with the front vest 12 or the back vest 14.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate two alternative embodiments of the football pass catching trainer 10. In FIG. 5, the central pad 24 and the side pads 26 are selectively detachable from the front vest 12. The front vest 12 may include a set of pad attachments 48 for selectively engaging one of a plurality of pad retainers 50 integral to the respective pads 24, 26. In this particular embodiment, a user may customize the football pass catching trainer 10 with differently sized and/or shaped pads 24, 26. In a preferred embodiment, the central pad 24 has an approximate five-inch radius and is larger than the side pads 26. The central pad 24 is preferably positioned near the mid-chest level and ends slightly above the belly button. The two side pads 26 are placed in the rib area underneath the pectoral muscle of the torso and are preferably approximately three inches in radius. Of course, receivers may mix and match a plurality of differently sized pads 24, 26 depending on the desired use and the size of the receiver wearing the football pass catching trainer 10. The pad attachments 48 engage and retain the pad retainers 50 according to the embodiments described with respect to the strap attachments 20 and the strap retainers 22. The pad attachments 48 and the pad retainers 50 may vary in size and shape, but should otherwise be able to adequately retain the pads 24, 26 to the front vest 12.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the football pass catching trainer 10 wherein the front vest 12 includes a set of elongated pad attachments 48 capable of retaining multiple central pads 24. A person of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the quantity and size of the corresponding pad attachments 48 on the front vest 12 may vary in size, shape and location. For example, the size and shape of the pad attachments 48 may enable a user to vary the quantity of the pads 24, 26 attachable to the front vest 12. In another embodiment, the pad attachments 48 may cover the entire front vest 12 such that the pads 24, 26 may be placed anywhere on the front vest 12. In this embodiment, it is preferable to include indicia on the front vest 12 that identifies preferred locations for placing the respective pads 24, 26 so the football pass catching trainer 10 teaches the receiver 44 certain techniques for catching the football 42. Different configurations of the pads 24, 26 may teach different receiving techniques, such as catching the football 42 with elbows away from the rib area and with the hands away from the chest area.

FIG. 7 is an environmental view of the receiver 44 endeavoring to catch the football 42 with a pair of hands 52. As shown more specifically with respect to FIG. 8, the hands 52 of the receiver 44 must receive the football far enough away from the chest so the football 42 does not contact the central pad 24. This necessarily requires that the receiver 44 catch the football at least a distance away from the chest that is equal to the width of the central pad 24. This effectively forces the receiver 44 to catch the football 42 with the hands 52 and not with the body or chest. Otherwise, the football 42 will contact the central pad 24 and bounce away from the receiver 44 such that the receiver 44 drops the football. To properly catch the football 42, the receiver 44 should position the hands 52 away from the central pad 24, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 9 is a top view more specifically illustrating operation of the central pad 24 and the side pads 26. The dashed lines illustrate obstruction of the football 42 with the central pad 24 when the receiver 44 catches the football 42 too close to the football pass catching trainer 10. Similarly, the side pads 26 obstruct inward movement of the elbows 46 of the receiver 44 toward the ribs. Highly effective football receiving skills require that the receiver 44 catch the football 42 with the hands 52 extended away from the chest and the elbows 46 extended outwardly away from the ribs. Obstruction by the pads 24, 26 of any inward movement of the hands 52 or the elbows 46 forces the receiver 44 to catch the football 42 using these proper receiving techniques.

Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

1. A football pass catching trainer, comprising: a vest wearable by a receiver; and at least one interference pad selectively removable from the vest, wherein the at least one interference pad includes a chest pad extending from just above a belly button of the receiver and ending just below a neckline of the vest positioned in a mid-chest level of the receiver, the vest and the associated interference pad configured to require the receiver wearing the vest to catch a football with arms and elbows extended away from the interference pad.
 2. The trainer of claim 1, including a pocket attached to the vest and sized to selectively receive the interference pad.
 3. The trainer of claim 2, wherein the pocket includes a lid that selectively closes the pocket.
 4. The trainer of claim 1, including a retainment mechanism that selectively attaches the interference pad to the vest.
 5. The trainer of claim 4, wherein the retainment mechanism comprises hook and loop fasteners, a button, a clip or a snap.
 6. The trainer of claim 1, wherein the interference pad is selectively positionable on the vest.
 7. The trainer of claim 6, including indicia for positioning the interference pad on the vest.
 8. The trainer of claim 1, including a side interference pad configured to obstruct inward movement of an elbow of the receiver.
 9. The trainer of claim 1, wherein the vest comprises a front section and a back section selectively coupled together by a strap.
 10. The trainer of claim 9, wherein the strap comprises an elastic strap.
 11. The trainer of claim 9, wherein the strap includes an adjustable fastener.
 12. The trainer of claim 1, wherein the pad comprises a foam pad.
 13. A method for training a receiver to catch a football, comprising the steps of: fitting a vest to the receiver; selecting at least one interference pad sized to prevent the receiver from catching the football with the body; positioning the interference pad on the vest so the vest and the associated interference pad require the receiver wearing the vest to catch the football with arms and elbows extended away from the interference pad; and removably connecting the interference pad to the vest, where the at least one interference pad includes a chest pad extending from just above a belly button of the receiver and ending just below a neckline of the vest positioned in a mid-chest level of the receiver.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting step includes the step of selecting a primary interference pad configured to obstruct catching the football with a chest of the receiver and a side interference pad configured to obstruct inward movement of an elbow of the receiver.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the connecting step includes the step of inserting the interference pad into a pocket attached to the vest.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the positioning step includes the step of aligning the interference pad with indicia on the vest.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the fitting step includes the step of adjusting a strap to snugly fit the vest to the receiver.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the strap comprises an elastic strap and includes a fastener.
 19. The trainer of claim 1, wherein the chest pad arcuately extends from the vest having a diameter portion and a flat portion.
 20. The trainer of claim 19, wherein the chest pad diameter is at least 5 inches.
 21. The trainer of claim 20, wherein the at least one interference pad includes a side pad located adjacent to the chest pad located above a rib area underneath a pectoral muscle of the receiver.
 22. The trainer of claim 21, wherein the side pad arcuately extends from the vest having a diameter portion and a flat portion.
 23. The trainer of claim 22, wherein the side pad diameter is at least 3 inches.
 24. The method of claim 13, wherein the chest pad arcuately extends from the vest having a diameter portion and a flat portion.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the chest pad diameter is at least 5 inches
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one interference pad includes a side pad located adjacent to the chest pad located above a rib area underneath a pectoral muscle of the receiver.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the side pad arcuately extends from the vest having a diameter portion and a flat portion.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the side pad diameter is at least 3 inches. 